


MASS EFFECT - Kaidan Alenko - The Extended Cut

by Pandorakiin



Series: Mass Effect - Kaidan Alenko | THE EXTENDED CUT [1]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: BioWare, Extended Cut, F/M, Romance, Sexual Content, Unique ending, sexual mischief
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27023464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandorakiin/pseuds/Pandorakiin
Summary: Fleet Address - LondonHer last words were a battle cry more vicious than any she’d uttered before. Shepard stood square to the galaxy map rail, one fist thrust into the air. Steady. Straight. Strong. Undaunted. A figure to be remembered, perhaps forever.“Normandy out.”The cheer on the Normandy was deafening. Joker cut the feed to the fleet. Shepard stepped down from the dias. Admiral Hackett reached out and shook her hand putting an arm around her shoulder. There was something she didn’t expect in his expression. Pride.“The way that started out Shepard, I was worried you’d gone soft on me.”“Well, a very wise woman once told me that whatever we accomplish in life, we'll always be human.”“Who was that?”“Kaidan’s mother.” Admiral Hackett laughed. He couldn’t quite pin it down, but around these two, every now and then, a piece of an immense, unknowable whole seemed to fit perfectly into place...With further ado, I present: An extended version of the Kaidan Alenko romance...
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard, Shenko(F)
Series: Mass Effect - Kaidan Alenko | THE EXTENDED CUT [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154555
Kudos: 4
Collections: Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect Mix Of All





	1. Mass Effect

By: R.A. Crandall

[Pandorakiin@DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/pandorakiin)

**Timeline**

Mass Effect

-

EDEN PRIME

KAIDAN: ‘SHE’S WAKING UP’

KAIDAN: ‘WOW. BIG PLACE.’

CITADEL: COUNCIL HEARING

CITADEL: GARRUS

CITADEL: WREX

CITADEL: TALI

CITADEL: EXPOSING SAREN

ASHLEY: ‘KISS A TURIAN’

What You Say and What You Do

Breaking The Ice

The Mako

THERUM: LIARA T’SONI

Wrex

KAIDAN: BAaT

ASHLEY: ‘KAIDAN’, EH?

The Co-Pilot’s Seat

Arresting

KAIDAN: DR. T’SONI?

KAIDAN: CONATIX

FEROS: GETH ATTACK

N7: MSV Ontario

The Aethon Cluster

X57: BRING DOWN THE SKY

Tonn Actus – Wrex’s Family Armour

NOVERIA: GETH INTEREST

Noveria

Mess Hall Banter

KAIDAN: RAHNA & VYRNNUS

Extraordinary

VIRMIRE: THE CHOICE

Virmire Debrief

ILOS: FIND THE CONDUIT

NORMANDY GROUNDED

Figuring Out What We Are

ANDERSON: FLUX

The Night Before Ilos

Afterglow

25 Minutes to the Mu Relay

Never Met a Woman Who…

❖

Mass Effect 2

❖

Mass Effect 3

❖

Epilogue

Farewell

The End

Post Scripts

Journal

Mass Effect Origin: Shepard

Mass Effect Origin: Kaidan

Mass Effect: Shadow of Death

Mass Effect: Revised Events Timeline

Mass Effect: Family Ties

Bloopers

Songs List


	2. What You Say And What You Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beware the gulf between what you say and what you do...

**[EDEN PRIME](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqUu8zbfoZY) **

**[KAIDAN: ‘SHE’S WAKING UP’](https://youtu.be/uRH9xB8Eo8E) **

**[KAIDAN: ‘WOW. BIG PLACE.’](https://youtu.be/tCyIP6v2fnI) **

**[CITADEL: COUNCIL HEARING](https://youtu.be/dWIRXi1DkJI) **

**CITADEL: GARRUS**

**CITADEL: WREX**

[ **CITADEL: TALI** ](https://youtu.be/-_8zLubibGw)

**[CITADEL: EXPOSING SAREN](https://youtu.be/ch5HAs-SqD4) **

**ASHLEY: ‘KISS A TURIAN’**

**❖**

**What You Say and What You Do**

The Mako rolled stiltedly backward along its track into drop position. Commander Shepard found Kaidan swiftly pulling the last of his gear out of his locker. They had only a few minutes left before they had to be inside and strapped in. Shepard approached the lockers as Garrus moved away, heading for the crew hatch on the Mako quick and straight.

This was their first time ashore as a team and the air needed clearing before they were ground-side. “A moment, Lieutenant?”

“Of course, ma’am.”

“You have something against turians, Lieutenant?”

“No, ma’am. I’ve had an unpleasant run in or two, but not really,” Kaidan answered.

“Good. I've had to discuss overly distrustful attitudes toward non-human crew members more often that I thought I would. You’re noticeably more… open and helpful with Wrex and Tali, than you are with Garrus.”

“I’ve never been hostile with him, ma’am.”

“No, you haven’t. You’ve never had the chance. When he walks into the room you have ‘DO NOT APPROACH’ written on you in neon. I don’t know what has you edgy, Lieutenant, but sand it off. Understood?” Shepard demanded.

A shadow passed over Kaidan’s features. He hesitated before answering with reservation in his tone, “Yes, ma’am. Understood."

Shepard realized she may have been too harsh. “Thank you. To be clear Lieutenant: this crew is the finest the Alliance has to offer. If we can’t seamlessly integrate other races into _this_ crew, how can we expect to succeed at it throughout the fleet?”

Kaidan nodded, appreciating the effort made to take the point off the order. “Permission to speak freely, ma’am?”

“Granted.”

“You’re hunting down a turian spectre with an intimidating degree of enthusiasm, and you have the Batarian massacre at Torfan to your name, but you feel that strongly about cooperation between races?”

“I always have, Lieutenant. Bringing Saren in is a necessity. So was Torfan. If you feel the enthusiasm I'm pursuing Saren with is intimidating, you never want to see how enthusiastically I'd pursue a human being guilty of the same crimes.” Shepard explained.

Kaidan’s eyes went wide - he hadn’t expected to feel the admiration he did. “Got it, Commander. I’ll spread the word.”

“Appreciate that, Lieutenant,” Shepard said as she opened her locker, pulled her rifle out and holstered it.

* * *

Author's Footnote

###


	3. Breaking The Ice

The terrain across their designated reservation had proven uninteresting at best. The ground was rolling and completely without impediment or challenges to navigate. It didn’t help that one colour summed up both the ground and sky – brown.

“Gents, if the air in here gets any heavier it’s going to start raining. A little conversation goes a long way with a landscape this boring,” Shepard stated jovially. Garrus was the first to speak up.

“Not sure I understand what you mean, Commander.”

“Ever been in total silence with others and your ears start ringing? The longer the silence goes on…the harder it gets to start talking…?” Shepard began to explain.

“Still not sure I-” Garrus began. Shepard cut back in. 

“The longer the silence goes on, the thicker the air gets, making it harder to cut through it with conversation.”

“I see,” Garrus stated. The silence came back again.

Shepard sighed and shook her head. “The two of you have twenty seconds, after I finish this sentence to start talking about something – or I’m gonna start _singing_.”

Kaidan looked at her critically, disbelieving. “ _Singing_?” Kaidan asked nervously.

“Uh huh. And you’re wasting time, Lieutenant.”

“So…uh…” Kaidan looked at Garrus. Garrus just stared back. Shepard had given them five extra seconds.

“ _Ding_. Time’s up. Hope you’ve got a thing for sea shanties.” Shepard put on the auto-pilot for a moment as she brought up her omni-tool and synced up with the Mako’s VI. In a few moments, the song came through over the speakers.

“[ _Ohhh_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E45ee-1gMs) _, the year was 1778._

_How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now…!_

_A letter of marque came from the king,_

_To the scummiest vessel I’d ever seen!_

_God Damned Them All._

_I was told we’d cruise the seas_

_For American gold._

_We’d fire no guns,_

_Shed no tears!_

_I’m a broken man on a Halifax pier!_

_The Last of Barrett’s Privateers!_

_Well, Elcid Barrett cried the town._

_How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now…!”_ Shepard broke away from the song. “Sing, guys.”

Kaidan shook his head emphatically.

Shepard could have sworn there was fear on his face. “ _Sing_ ,” she insisted. Garrus joined in on the next ‘We’d fire no guns’. Kaidan had picked up just before that on ‘I was told we’d cruise the seas’. Shepard laughed and smiled, gunning the engine up over a hillock.

***

The final words of Barrett’s Privateers died out on a deep bass note and Shepard looked to her crew-mates. “We’re not gonna be up on stage anywhere, anytime soon, but that wasn’t half bad,” she observed.

Kaidan laughed. “It could’ve been worse,” he said.

“Yes it could,” Shepard agreed. Garrus seemed to have something to say but he’d didn’t want to spit it out. “What’s got you so… quiet all of a sudden, Garrus? You seemed like you were having a bit of fun,” Shepard asked.

“I was… I am. I don’t know how much you know about turian culture, Commander, but we don’t have songs, really, never mind ones that tell stories like that. The result of being a militaristic people. It feels ridiculous to say this, but there were moments when I thought I was going to, uh… well… turians don’t cry, the way humans do, but we do have an equivalent feeling, I think. Hearing the emotion in the singer’s voices… it’s unfortunate turians don’t tell stories as… enthusiastically… as humans do. There are some beautiful ideas in our stories, but… I’m new to your language and I know there are a lot of details I miss… If this is the kind of thing humans talk about to pass time on boring assignments, I’d like to talk about more.” Now that she’d convinced Garrus to talk, seemed like he didn’t want to stop. Shepard grinned. The ice was thoroughly broken.

“Good thing I’ve got a few more good songs on here. I doubt you’ve heard of a human named John Denver, but-”

“John _Denver_?” Kaidan asked, hardly able to believe his luck. “Unreal! How do you know about him? You’re not even _from_ Earth.”

“ _Really_ , Lieutenant. My parents listened to him,” Shepard retorted playfully. Kaidan nodded, approving.

“Well, _him_ I can sing to.”

“I hate to say it, Lieutenant, but... uhhh-”

“That’s not going to stop me liking it,” Kaidan cut in with a subdued smile on.

Shepard smiled and laughed. “Good.” He might not carry a tune perfectly, but there was something pleasant about listening to someone singing for the sheer joy of it. It made the moments they did hit the right note that much more enjoyable.

“What’s the song called?” Garrus asked.

“Rocky Mountain High,” Shepard answered.

“What’s it about?” Garrus wondered. It sounded a little dull. A good fit for their surroundings, but... Kaidan answered his question. Shepard could hardly believe her ears at how he answered and how well he did it.

“ _It’s about a young man who’s lost his sense of who he is, living surrounded by too many people and cities too empty of nature – feeling suffocated by civilization and weighed down by his past. He leaves the life he knew behind and finds clarity in the natural surroundings and solitude of the mountains. Our mountains are part of some of the most beautiful land on Earth. He sings about the wonder of seeing what we call ‘Northern Lights’ in the sky. The peace of the forests, lakes and streams. The thrill of climbing mountains high enough that you can stand above the clouds. It’s a great song._ ”

Garrus was staring at Kaidan wide-eyed. “You can speak Palavar – and _well_ ,” said Garrus, thoroughly surprised. It was the primary language spoken on Palaven.

Kaidan sighed, hesitating to answer the statement. “Just the one dialect…I didn’t avoid using it around you for this reason, but it’s why I learned it in the first place – _know your enemy_.” Shepard felt the truth of the fact cut straight through her, to the heart. She could see how it might feel dishonest to speak to someone using a language you originally intended to use against them.

“Don’t let _why_ you learned it keep you from _knowing a friend_ , Lieutenant. That’s an order. _Both_ of you.”

Garrus and Kaidan laughed, replying almost perfectly together. “Aye aye, ma’am.”

“Understood, Commander,” Garrus said, feeling unexpected admiration as he realized she meant what she said. It occurred to him she might have chosen the team for this mission for reasons now evident. She paid a moment’s attention to her omni-tool and started up ‘[Rocky Mountain High](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOB4VdlkzO4)’.

❖

**Timeline**

[EDEN PRIME](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqUu8zbfoZY)

[KAIDAN: ‘SHE’S WAKING UP’](https://youtu.be/uRH9xB8Eo8E)

[KAIDAN: ‘WOW. BIG PLACE.’](https://youtu.be/tCyIP6v2fnI)

[CITADEL: COUNCIL HEARING](https://youtu.be/dWIRXi1DkJI)

CITADEL: GARRUS

CITADEL: WREX

[ CITADEL: TALI ](https://youtu.be/-_8zLubibGw)

[CITADEL: EXPOSING SAREN](https://youtu.be/ch5HAs-SqD4)

ASHLEY: ‘KISS A TURIAN’ 

[What You Say and What You Do](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27023464/chapters/65971195)

Breaking The Ice


	4. The Mako

“I should arrest you for ignoring road signs, Commander.” Garrus’ colour looked a little different.

“Is that so, _Officer_? They must be poorly placed. I’m not seeing them.” Shepard retorted, amused by Garrus’ gripe.

“Really? You missed one just back there. It marked where I abandoned my lunch.” Garrus groaned as they hit another bump in the ground. Shepard and Alenko laughed. Flying up over the shorthill in front of them with the wheels off the ground for a few seconds Shepard slowed almost instantly when they hit the ground, swerving to avoid a very large stone.

“Okay, my stomach felt that. Why do I feel like you’re enjoying this, Commander?” Lieutenant Alenko mused.

“I have no idea,” Shepard said mischeviously. Shepard sat forward looking up the steep embankment to the right of the Mako. “What do you think the incline is on that?” she asked Alenko.

Leaning in his seat to look out the side window, he answered. “Between 40 and 50 degrees.” Shepard smiled and took a hard look at the makeup of the ground along face of the hill. They needed ground, not gravel. “Who’s up for some all-terrain adventures?”

“What? Shepard…no,” Garrus said.

Shepard grinned and laughed. “Rhetorical question. Buckle down, gents.” Garrus and Kaidan took the advice. Shepard opened the throttle on full and climbed the hill, finding purchase on every outcropping she could hook the wheels into, pulling them up the hill at an exhilarating speed.

“This is…fun,” said Kaidan, actually laughing. Reaching the top, she hardly slowed and took them along the top of ridge, dancing back and forth between rocky up-shoots with surprising ease. Credit was due to the Mako’s peerless suspension. Keeping an eye on the gradation readout on the radar, she steered them toward a descent that looked challenging.

“Commander, I think that’s a cliff.”

“Is that so?”

“Ma’am?” queried Kaidan, sounding apprehensive.

Shepard _loved_ this. “Ever wonder what it would be like to drop down over a cliff with no one driving?” Shepard asked, taking her hands off the controls and spreading her arms like wings as the Mako’s boosters carried them over the edge. After a few moments, the nose dropped down.

“Shepard! Holy…!” Kaidan shouted, bracing himself against the control and panel and seat. For about 10 seconds they were in a free-fall.

“Wuh whoo!” Shepard hooted simultaneously, grinning like a fool. The rear was carrying just a bit too far forward.

“Whoa! Shit!” Shepard said, seizing the controls again, firing the front boosters for a moment and finding purchase on the nearest rocky crag, pulling the nose up and swinging the Mako’s rear end down behind them. Going with the slide the Mako was in Shepard pulled hard to port, gunned the engine, and took them down to slightly more level terrain before cozying up to their next radar blip. Shepard had a wide grin on her face.

Kaidan gave his head a gentle shake before letting himself out of the restraints in his seat. “Next time, I’m driving,” said Kaidan. The amusement in his tone belied the reprimand.

Shepard laughed. “Only if you beat me to the seat, Lieutenant.” Shepard was already up and on her way to the weapons lockers.

❖

“That banged up the undercarriage pretty badly, Commander,” Garrus observed as they exited the vehicle. Each of them stumbled a bit, being back on solid ground.

“As long as the integrity of the armour isn’t compromised, Garrus, I don’t care how pretty she is,” Shepard replied, sorting out her rebellious legs. Luckily the Mako was controlled by hand. “Besides, I’ll help you square ‘er away when we’re back on board.”

“Next time you can leave me on steady ground aboard the Normandy,” Garrus stated.

“Come on, that was nothing compared to G-force training,” Shepard replied, cajoling.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, Commander, gravity has its’ disadvantages,” Kaidan said, sounding a little unsteady.

Shepard laughed. “You and I define ‘disadvantage’ a little differently.”

“Differences are the spice of life,” Kaidan answered diplomatically. Despite considerable effort, the closed smile on his face wouldn’t go away. Shepard grinned. They were going to get along just fine.

* * *

Author's Footnote


End file.
